Three out of four employed South Africans work on the front line, not at a desk, and almost none of the software world was built for them. We're here to change that.
Trusted by 200+ employers and 250,000+ deskless workers across Africa
75% of South Africa's employed population works on the front line. Despite being the majority, they've been locked out by technology providers, with only about 1% of enterprise tech built for them. No laptop, no work email, no way to stay connected to their employer.
Meet them where they are by building for the phone already in their pocket. If they could access all their HR, communications and benefits on WhatsApp, they'd finally get an experience on par with their office counterparts. Their potential would start being unlocked.
Jem is the workforce management platform for deskless teams, built on WhatsApp. Employers use it to connect, manage and reward the people who keep their businesses running. Today that's 250,000+ workers at 200+ employers.
We needed a name to match our purpose: connecting head office to distributed frontline workforces. One of the oldest forms of long-distance communication is the drum, and the most famous talking drum of all is the djembe. That's how Jem was born.
May 2020
Founded as SmartWage
Founded as SmartWage, launching Earned Wage Access to break the payday debt cycle.
December 2020
Named top African start-up in the Future of Work category at VivaTech.
September 2021
Ambitions grew
Our ambitions grew beyond wages — the vision expanded to full frontline HR.
December 2021
HR & Comms
Began building our HR and Communications products.
March 2022
Closed a $2m seed round.
June 2022
Payslips launched
Launched payslip distribution on WhatsApp.
November 2022
Rebrand to Jem
Rebranded from SmartWage to Jem.
March 2023
Selected for Google's Startups Accelerator, the only South African start-up in the cohort.
July 2024
Inbox Launch
Launched a feature that allows employees to query their Rosters, Timesheets or Payslips through WhatsApp, speeding up queries and empowering management teams to rectify issues fast.
November 2024
First Deskless Pulse Report
We launched our first comprehensive report unpacking South Africa's deskless workforce.
November 2024
Awarded the Startup of the Year in the Future of Work category by Startup Club ZA.
February 2025
Leave Launch
Launched Leave requests that allow employees to request leave via WhatsApp allowing line managers to quickly receive and process leave requests on the Jem Hub.
March 2025
Benefits suite
Launched the employee benefits suite: savings, financial education, EAP and credit-score assistance.
August 2025
Jem Mobile
Launched Jem Mobile: affordable smartphones, SIMs and data through payroll.
November 2025
Deskless Pulse 2025
Launched edition 2 of our flagship research report at an in-person event in JHB attended by 50+ executives.
December 2025
Startup of the Year 2025: Fintech
Awarded the Startup of the Year in the Fintech category by Startup Club ZA.
December 2025
Reached 200+ employers and 250,000+ deskless workers.
January 2026
JemX
Launched JemX, our AI division.
April 2026
Time & Attendance
Launched Time & Attendance: WhatsApp clock-in with GPS verification.
May 2026
Named one of Bloomberg's 25 Africa Startups to Watch in 2026 — one of only four from South Africa.
August 2026
Launched Jem 2.0
We updated and modernised our Jem Hub to create a seamless experience for our customers with rich insights and data.
One conversation, and you'll see Jem running live on WhatsApp.
